1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to ejection systems for refuse compacting containers, and more specifically to refuse systems utilizing a height adjustable, rearward ejection system.
2. Prior Art
The advent of refuse collection by means of large trucks having automated compaction capability was soon followed by smaller pick-up units adapted to movement in more limited spaces. Customarily, such pick-up units would cater to customers whose refuse pick-up sites were inaccessible to the larger compaction trucks. The need for increased mobility demanded improved compaction systems housed in small compaction compartments with maximum material movement capability.
Small compaction units were developed which utilized the compaction principles of the larger trucks but were mounted on a smaller truck body or in the bed of a pick-up truck. Upon being filled to capacity, the small unit would rendezvous with a larger parent truck which would receive its compacted contents. This cycle would be repeated until the parent truck was filled.
To properly transfer the refuse from the smaller unit to the parent truck the ejection level and receiving level of the respective units would necessarily have to be matched. Since the mechanical structure of the parent truck made vertical adjustments of its receiving compartment impractical, systems were developed for raising and lowering the ejection level of the smaller unit. Such systems commonly use a vertically mounted hydraulic lifter to coordinate the tailgate ejection level with the parent truck.
Since raising the rearward section of the small compaction unit involves a corresponding forward displacement of its front top section, a region of free space between the truck cab and compaction unit was required, to permit the ejection leveling process to function. With the storage capacity of these smaller units already limited by their reduced size, the required free space meant added waste of space, further reducing storage capacity. This lost capacity plus the increased economic loss due to the necessity of more frequent rendezvous trips with the parent truck, in combination with the added costs of fuel and operator time, suggest the need for an improved system to overcome such disadvantages.